Friday, February 11, 2011

Paranormal Activity 2 Blu-ray Review

Release Date: Feb. 8th, 2011Disc Size: 27.0 GBFilm Rating: RRegion: A

The Video

‘Paranormal Activity 2’ debuts on Blu-ray with a 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 video presentation. The film is made from a high-def consumer camera perspective and it looked great when viewed on my high-def projector.

The film isn’t razor sharp, nor should it be. It does however feature that undeniable high-def clarity that can never be confused with standard-definition material. Colors are strong (particularly well-lit sequences) and blacks are solid throughout.

I love the intentional look of the film and the Blu-ray presents the film like it was intended. The negative aspects of the presentation cannot be blamed on the transfer really. There was nothing that stood out to me as odd about the presentation.

Overall I was very impressed and pleased by ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ on Blu-ray. The film may not make for demo material, but it is far better than the included DVD presentation of the film. Viewers will definitely appreciate this high-def presentation. 8/10

The Audio

An English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is the lossless option included. Also included are French, Spanish, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital tracks and an English Audio Description track. Optional subtitles include English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The high-def audio track included is top notch considering the style of the film. Some may find the audio out of place from the film itself as it features surround use and clearer dialogue sequences than that of an actual consumer camera, but it didn’t take away from my experience.

The horror sequences feature impressive audio moments which may make you jump when you least expect it. The mix also isn’t demo material by any means, but it gets the job done nicely and I really have no complaints. 8/10

The Extras

Disc 1 (Blu-ray Disc):

Theatrical Version (1:31:08) (HD)The theatrical version you loved or hated is included.

Extended Version (1:38:04) (HD)An extended version of the film is included which is almost 7 minutes longer.

Found Footage (3:49) (HD)See some deleted footage from the film, some which was included in the trailer.

Teaser Trailer (1:08) (HD)The teaser trailer is included in high-definition.

BookmarksReturn to where you left off in the film via the bookmarks feature.

Disc 2 (DVD):

DVD copy of the filmWith Digital Copy on disc.

Digital Copy of the filmCompatible with iTunes and Windows Media.

Like with the ‘Paranormal Activity’ Blu-ray release, there are not many extras included this time around either. The realistic aspect of the film may be a reason why they don’t want to include any making of featurettes or audio commentaries, but it would have been nice to see them included now. The Digitla Copy is a nice addition. 4/10

The Movie

‘Paranormal Activity 2’ is the hit sequel to the blockbuster surprise which was ‘Paranormal Activity.’ It was obvious that a sequel would happen based on the success of the first, with a third in the works as well as foreign versions.

I really enjoyed ‘Paranormal Activity,’ I loved the consumer camera perspective used for the film, which was arguably made most popular by ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ ‘Paranormal Activity’ uses the same perspective, but with more security cameras in the mix.

The sequel is connected to the first film via the family relationship storyline and takes place mostly before the first film takes place. The connection was decent, but I actually wish they didn’t try to connect the two films and instead just have two unique storylines.‘Paranormal Activity 2’ does suffer somewhat and most of it has to do with length. The film isn’t long compared to your average film, but the first half of the film in particular just drags on. The film may be more enjoyable for those who actually thought the footage was real or something, but it just starts off boring.

The last half of the film picks up nicely and makes for one of the better comebacks in a film I have seen recently, usually films start strong and make their way downhill until the end. There are some very effective sequences towards the end that did make me jump and ultimately kept me from disliking the film.

‘Paranormal Activity’ was an enjoyable film, but it becomes even more boring with repeated viewings. ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ also suffers with replay value, but I actually find it to have better replay value than the first as the end sequences are far more intense in my eyes.

The film is not a masterpiece whatsoever, but it is fun when viewed with others who have not seen it yet. The pool cleaner scenes were plain stupid, but I guess they needed something to add to the runtime. Overall there were more positives than negatives and ultimately I would watch it again. 7.5/10

The Blu-news Summary

‘Paranormal Activity 2’ may be a love or hate experience for you, but the video and audio presentations are as good as one could expect from the intentionally limited sources. There are not too many extras included, but I enjoyed what was included. Overall the Blu-ray release is ‘Recommended’ to fans and ‘Worth A Look’ to those new to the film.